Dragline excavation systems comprise heavy equipment that can remove materials from the ground, such as overburden, in surface mining or other civil engineering projects where large volumes of material must be removed in an efficient manner. A typical dragline excavation system includes a large bucket that is suspended from a boom (a large truss-like structure) with wire ropes. The bucket is maneuvered by means of a number of ropes and chains. The hoist rope, typically powered by large diesel or electric motors, supports the bucket and hoist-coupler assembly from the boom. The dragline is used to draw the bucket assembly horizontally to scoop up and remove material from the ground. By skillful maneuver of the hoist and the dragline, the bucket can be controlled for various operations.
Dragline excavation systems provide several advantageous features over other earthmoving equipment, including a long reach for both digging and dumping, the ability to dig below their tracks (or base), and a high cycle speed. However, the loads and stresses applied to the various parts of the dragline excavation system are massive and the parts associated with the system must be able to withstand such stresses. In addition, the harsh environment in which a dragline excavation system operates can further contribute to increased wear of the various parts of the dragline excavation system. Because of the tremendous size and weight of the various parts of these systems, failure of a single part can result in significant down-time.